Trust. Trust is earned, no matter if it is the trust in man or in God, trust is steadfastness. Some may say that little children trust their parents, and this may be true in the very best of homes and for a certain period of time, but eventually because of our sin nature, self and pride rear their ugly heads and we begin, sometimes at a very early age, to only trust in ourselves. It is the wise person that learns quickly that this also is futile, for we all fail, everyone one of us is flawed, and failure can hinder trust rapidly.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6) So easy to say, yet I have heard individuals speak this incredible promise, and then the very next day question why God is allowing something they consider bad to enter into their life. I will give you a truth here that you can trust implicitly, nothing happens to any child of God unless it passes thru the throne of His grace first. If Satan’s emissaries are buffeting you on all sides, it is because God is allowing it. It is impossible for a born-again believer to be tempted above what he can bear, if he will just seek the way out that is promised, (1st Cor. 10:13) no evil will ever befall any of His chosen. (Prov. 12:21) Let me phrase it this way, if you are never tested, you will never have a testimony, and if you have no testimony, then you will have no trust, either in the one who has allowed the testing or in the trust of your obedience to the One you have given your life to.
Trust is earned, and God in His infinite wisdom allows us to go thru trials and tribulations so that we will learn that He can be trusted. It is no wonder that many fear these trials, for not just a few are taught in various churches these days that God is love, and nothing but love, that all we have to do is be on our best behavior all the time and He will shower us with health, wealth and the things of this world. Far too many in what is termed the “civilized world” today treat our Lord like a jinn, a genie in a bottle that is supposed to take care of us in health, so that we can die at a ripe old age with all of our family around us, thinking of a long life instead of a life well spent in service to Him. These same believe that sickness when it occurs is either a punishment from God for some unknown sin or that He has deserted them temporarily, so their small faith falters and then trust is weakened. Others actually preach a prosperity theology, that if God loves you, you will always be financially stable, even above the needs that you desire, a wicked and evil plot of Satan, so much so that when the money fails our Lords Holy Name is blasphemed, for their trust was never in Christ in the first place, but only in what He can give them, what He can do for them. These are not the thoughts of a servant.
How few and far apart are the men and women today that can say with Job “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:” (Job 13:15) Trust means that our Lord will feed us and clothe us, for those that seek the kingdom of God, (Matt. 6:33) it does not mean that He is going to give you a three bedroom house so that you will have an extra bedroom when company shows up, that when the car breaks down that we should be able to run out and go even deeper into debt for something bigger, something more elegant, because I want, God should supply, our wants have become supposed needs, what we have come to expect, we believe we deserve. The material world has become the vehicle for many today for our Lord to prove His love for them, you do not need to be a member of a prosperity theology church to see that, those who have must be being blessed by Him, those who do not apparently do not have the necessary faith to procure these items from Him. He is a magician that is supposed to produce what we desire when we desire it, and if He does not, our trust in Him will ceases.
Trust means that He will never leave you or forsake you, and you are to believe that, even in the valley of the shadow of death, not that He is going to abandon you to some dreaded illness because you did not have enough faith to please Him, false trust believes that those beautiful, healthy children that the Lord has blessed you with will live to a ripe old age and enjoy all the pleasures of this world, and that He would never take one of them away from you by an early death, He is Almighty God, He does as He pleases, not as we please, and His ways are always righteous and just. One of the meanings of the word trust for the believer is faith, faith that all of Gods promises are true. In the Old Testament, God told the people “Do this, and I will bless you,” Christ told us that “You are blessed, so do this.” Look at Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Do you really believe that God would send trials on those that could not trust in Him to deliver them out of that trial, do you think that our Lord would allow in any way one of His children to suffer who He knew would not call on Him to deliver them from that suffering? Yes, He would, to prove to you just where your faith truly lies.
God knows exactly how much each of us that have trusted in Him, those who have given their lives in faith to His precious Son can handle, for He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb. 12:2) No matter the circumstances or situation, all that He allows to come into our lives, everything, is because He loves us. I have heard it said that if we could see as God sees, the beginning to the end of our lives, we would gladly accept all that He allows into our lives, but the just shall live by faith, (Heb. 10:38) and faith is the same as trust. The fear of the Lord means in part reverential trust, a complete and abiding faith that does not question the love that comes from that trust, the knowledge deep inside of our soul that believes, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11)
Trust is earned, but do not deceive yourself into quoting Proverbs 3:5-6 and then not adhering to this promise when the trials and tribulations come, if you cannot be patient in them, (Rom. 12:12) then you will begin to question why, and when that happens, your trust will begin to falter. Our Lord teaches us, He trains us, and without trials, tribulations and troubles we would never learn to lean on the everlasting arms, we would never seek to hide in the rock of our salvation. The Lord our god is holy, and He asks us to be holy, (Lev. 11:44) we are to be righteous, (1st John 3:7) we are to be fully trusting in Him in all things, for His promises are true and He alone is trustworthy. The character of the born-again believer is to be trusting in His lord at all times, no matter the circumstances.
